It is believed that when the body dies, that is all that dies. The body is just an outer shell for the energy inside. In the first law of thermodynamics (also known as the law of conservation) it is defined that energy can neither be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another. All living things contain energy. So, what happens when an organism dies? The body can die.. sure. But what about the energy? It is believed that the energy is released into the environment.
It is also believed that this energy still retains the organisms traits and personality. So nothing really changes, except that the organism no longer is contained in the body. It is free. The human eye may not be able to see
this energy, but film (photo, video), audio recordings, and other types of media can usually pick up this energy. The common misconception is that ghosts always appear as full manifestations. Rarely have total manifestations been photographed by Ghost Hunters. Spirit energy is generally categorized
as orbs, ecto/mist, vortices and apparitions.
Types of Spirit Energy
Orbs: Circles of energy. more commonly called simply orbs. most common in photographs. be careful not to get a false "spookie" in photos, as it could be dust on the camera lens or rain.
Vortex/Vortices: Swirling column of light(usually verticle) false spookies
could occur if that in fact in the photos turns out not to be a vortex, but your
camera strap!
Apparitions: Some psychics "claim" to see them on a regular basis but as for the rest of us it's a very rare occurrence. Catching an apparition on film is what every ghost hunter aspires to but seldom, if ever sees. They show up in a transparent human form and usually wear the clothing of their period. You might also note that they normally appear faint and disfigured as in being incomplete.
Types of Spirits
Residual - Residual Hauntings are "recordings" of an event in time that are left at a location, that are played back at a later time. You may hear residual hauntings on tape recordings or see them, endless loops of the same scene being played over and over, and they are usually always experienced in the same location. A couple ways these impressions are left on a location is: A traumatic event happening at the location, or by someone doing an action
over and over at a location, causing it to be imprinted there.
A traumatic moment in time leaves an indelible impression on a building or area, one example being Battle Fields. There are numerous accounts of people seeing soldiers fighting battles on old battle fields, only to learn later that day that there were no reenactments going on that day. By someone doing an action over and over in an area, they can leave an impression on the location.
Poltergeists - As the name suggests, they are noisy, often throwing objects around, pinching and prodding residents and generally disrupting the residence. They may not be "mean" or "evil", Just active, wanting to let people know they're there.
Interestingly, most cases often center on a teenage or female presence in the home. This would seem to indicate that the activities are in some way attributable to the teenager or focus person. Hauntings are usually associated with places of strong emotion. Adolescence is one of the most stressful and emotional times of a person's life. Perhaps the effect of this stress may attract the hauntings?
Another theory that is becoming more and more used to explain poltergeist activity is that the focus person in the household may be a natural medium or suffering from repressed emotions that are somehow outwardly manifested, meaning the person them self may be actually causing these things to happen without even knowing it.
Anniversary ghosts - do, as the title suggests, only appear on an anniversary of some significance like deaths, birthdays and other times that held some meaning for the deceased or are of historical significance to them. Since this type of ghost only appears on the anniversary of a special event, it seem likely this type of haunting could be a residual haunting, reenacting a certain event in time on that one day or night.
Intelligent Ghost - Unlike residual hauntings, these type of ghosts are not
in a 'stuck in time' type of deal. They actually seem to have intelligence.
These spirits are interactive, sometimes verging into the territory of the poltergeist. They may try and attract your attention by
creating odors, moving things, making noises such as footsteps, slamming doors, or moving and hiding objects.
5 Different stages and levels of Poltergeist activity
STAGE 1: Referred to as a Senses Attack because in the early stages of a poltergeist the activity mainly revolves around the human body's basic senses.
Cold spots, strange odors and smells, hearing footsteps, unusual animal activity (dogs/cats running from rooms, etc), feelings of being watched.
STAGE 2: This level is where the noises and smells begin to turn into something more direct. Everything is still at it's basic level but turned up a few notches. Wispers, laughs or giggles, moans or shrieking, moving shadows, breezes in closed areas, visible clouds (base apparitions), strong static electricity, marks on floors or walls (not writings).
STAGE 3: At this stage the poltergeist begins to make it's presence felt. The difference is that in the first two levels it could be said that it was the mind playing tricks, but now, it's hard not to notice something real is happening. This is the level that the classic haunting falls into. Lights and other electrical appliances turingin on/off, unseen hands grabbing or touching people, writhing on walls or pattern makkings, doors that open/close or lick/unlock, hearing voices or words clearly, full apparitions or dark figures, showing levels of communication with living people.
STAGE 4: This is where an advanced poltergeist begins to gain momentum. Moving closer to the danger level and picking up a clearer conciousness. Flying/moving objects, objects disappearing and reappearing elsewhere, shaking furniture, pushing or shaking people, windows, morrors or other household objects breaking for no reason, levitation.
STAGE 5: At this level the poltergeist is at it's highest energy point and should be considered dangerous, not because it wants to hurt people, but just because it has a great deal of energy and could end of hurting someone with it
(either on purpose or by accident). The time frame here, and for all stages listed, will vary. depending on the poltergeist. It could end in days, months or years After this stage, the poltergeist will usually go darmant and then begin this cycle over again. Dangerous activity, biting, slapping or punching, animating objects, use of household electrical systems, hair pulled, heavy objects falling!
It is believed that when the body dies, that is all that dies. The body is just an outer shell for the energy inside. In the first law of thermodynamics (also known as the law of conservation) it is defined that energy can neither be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another. All living things contain energy. So, what happens when an organism dies? The body can die.. sure. But what about the energy? It is believed that the energy is released into the environment.